Tortilla Stack

Makes 8
Prep 15 min
Cook 7 min
Bake 350 for 15 min

1 tbs vegetable oil
1 lb ground beef
1 medium size onion - chopped
1 large green pepper seeded and chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 jar (16 ounces) black bean and corn salsa (such as newman's own)
5 8 inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend

Heat oven to 350
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and green pepper to skillet and cook stirring occassionally, for 6 minutes. Drain accumulated fat and stir in cumin, cook 1 minute. Stir in salsa and heat through remove from heat, set aside.

Coat a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla in the bottom of pan, then top with 1 heaping cut meat mixture spreading it evenly and leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Sprinkle meat with 1/2 cup cheese and top with 1 tortilla, pressing down gently. Repeat layers 3 more times

Place springform pan in oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

"Counter" Intelliegence

If you are like most people me included you store all your vegetables in the crisper. This however is not the case with all vegetables.
Tomatoes - why not fridge? Chilly air dulls the flavor and makes them more acidic. Keep fresh tip place in a spot away from windows so they dont' get direct sunlight Use within 1 week

Potatoes why not fridge? The starch in them will quickly turn into sugar, resulting in too-sweet spuds when cooked. Keep it fresh tip son't wash until ready to eat. Use within 2 to 4 weeks

Cucumbers why not fridge? they become yellow and watery. Keep fresh tip stash in a plastic grocery bag. Use within 1 week

Bananas why not fridge? Low temperatures speed up spoiling. Keep fresh tip store separately on a plate in a cool dry place. Use within 3 to 4 days

Spring Foam Pan

I came across a reciepe that i would like to try however it called for a springfoam pan, which i do not have in my kitchen, a quick search of google helped me discover substitutions :)

If it calls for a 9 inch springform pan which holds about 10 cups one may use:


1 (10-inch) round cake pan
1 (10-inch) springform pan
2 (8-inch) round cake pans
2 (9-inch) round cake pans

If it call dor a 10 inch springform pan which holds about 12 cups one may use:
2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans
1 (9-inch) tube pan
2 (9-inch) round cake pans
1 (10-inch) Bundt pan
2 (11 x 7-inch) baking dishes
2 (8-inch) round cake pans

Little Habits to break so you can lose weight

1. Listening to music. Soft, appealing sounds encourage you to dine longer and order more food. Loud, fast music speeds eating, meaning you scarf what's on your plate before you realize that you're full. INSTEADTurn off the music at home and focus on the pleasure you get from each bite, or fill up on good conversation instead of dessert during restaurant meals.

2. Standing. Those who eat out of plastic containers at a kitchen counter consume up to 50% more the next time they eat than those who sit at a table and eat off a plate. Standing makes the meal feel more like a snack, which people consider less satisfying, say researchers. INSTEADEat at a proper place setting, even if you're only munching on hummus and carrot sticks, to help make it feel like a meal.

3. Eating a little of everything. People given 24 flavors of jelly beans ate twice as many as those given only 6 flavors, according to the Journal of Consumer Research. A larger assortment appears more interesting and encourages you to sample extra. INSTEAD Survey the food at a party or buffet and decide what you want before filling a plate.

Fresh Fruit: Banana, Common, raw, peeled

Fresh Fruit: Banana, Common, raw, peeled

Calories (cal) 172
Total Fats (g) 0
Carbs (g) 40
Protein (g) 3

SLEEP to SKINNY

wow if it were only that easy
I found a great article while looking for ways to go to sleep and stay that way :)
http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/jacob-teitelbaum-md/sleep-your-way-skinny

Sleep Your Way to Skinny
By Jacob Teitelbaum, MD
Obesity is an epidemic and has many causes. One of them is that the average night’s sleep has dropped from 9 hours a night to 6.75 hours a night over the last 100 years, and sleep is responsible for many weight and appetite controlling hormones, such as the growth hormones, leptin, phrelin and ghrelin. So can you really sleep your way to skinny? Many studies suggest you can.

How much sleep is optimal for staying thin? Between 7 and 9 hours is best. Less than 7 hours increases the risk of obesity approximately 30% and adds an extra 5 pounds on average.

According to Jean-Philippe Chaput, MSc, from Laval University in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, and colleagues, "Current treatments for obesity have been largely unsuccessful in maintaining long-term weight loss, suggesting the need for new insight into the mechanisms that result in altered metabolism and behavior and may lead to obesity."

The increase in body weight in the US population has been paralleled by a reduction in sleep times. For the past 4 decades, daily sleep duration has decreased by 1.5 to 2 hours, and the proportion of young adults sleeping less than 7 hours per night has more than doubled, from 15.6% in 1960 to 37.1% in 2002.

Studies in adults and children have repeatedly shown that reduced sleep is associated with increased weight.

To determine the relationship between sleep duration and weight, researchers followed 276 adults aged 21 to 64 who were enrolled in the Quebec Family Study, a 6-year study in a community setting. The investigators compared weight gain relative to 3 categories of sleep duration ― short (5-6 hours), average (7-8 hours), and long (9-10 hours).

Compared with average-duration sleepers, short-duration sleepers gained 4.4 pounds more in a 6-year period. At 6 years, short-duration and long-duration sleepers were 35% and 25% more likely to experience a 12-pound weight gain, respectively, compared to those who slept 7 to 8 hours a night.

Compared with average-duration sleepers, short-duration sleepers had a 27% increased risk for the development of obesity, and long-duration sleepers had a 21% increase in risk. Adjustment for caloric intake and physical activity did not affect these connections.

Love & Blessings,
Dr. T

Step 4

All health improvements benefit from keeping a schedule. Whether that's working out everyday before work, stretching every night before bed or automating your meals, creating a schedule helps you to be prepared, and therefore, less susceptible to excuses, lapses and temptations.

This is your schedule:
Set a bedtime that works with your schedule, both during the week and on weekends, and stick to it
4-6 hours before bed, do not eat or drink anything containing caffeine
2-3 hours before bed, do not eat a full meal
60 minutes before bed, turn off all electronics (unless you are a doctor on call, blackberries, cell phones and pagers should not enter the bedroom) and dim the lights. In the middle of your brain is something called the pineal gland. It releases melatonin, the hormone that readies the mind and body for sleep in response to lowered light levels.
30 minutes before bed, have something to drink. Water is preferable, but warm milk can help soothe you to sleep.
5 minutes before bed, make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet and slightly cool. The ideal sleeping temperature is 65F.
Wake up at the same time every day, during the week and on weekends
Helpful hint: Reserve the bedroom for sleep and sex only. You are strengthening the association between your bed and sleep. Do not bring work into the bed, watch TV, talk on the telephone or perform any other wakeful activities.

***i always thought that reading before bed was a good thing but from reading this i am not convinced. Turning off all electrical things is a challenge, i now get off the computer at 10:30 - 11 shower, pack lunch iron, and then hit the hay, if i am waiting for hubby to get home i might turn on the DS and play a few puzzles (i am thinking that this isn't a good idea) but i am finding that being unplugged is a good thing and No cell phone in the bedroom and we have not turned on the bedroom tv in a few months so now i am use to sleeping without noise ... there might just be something to this preparing for bed thing :)